Rail joint



c. TROUP ,318

RAIL JOINT Original Filed July 24. 1926 Patented Feb. 14, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES amour, or WATSIEKA, ILLINOIS.

RAIL JoIN'rQ Original application filed July 24, 1926, Serial No. 124,623. Iatent no. 1,639,520, dated Aug'ust 16, 1927. j

Divided and this application filed February 1, 1927. Serial No. 165,152.

The present invention is directed to improvements in rail joints and has for its primary object to provide novel means for maintaining the joint tight" and'rigid at all times, and is a division of my co-pending application, filed July. 24, 1926, Serial No. 121,623, which issued in Patent No. 1,639,620, August 16, 1927.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through the joint.

Figure 2 is a sectional view on line 2,2 of Figure 1. 7

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a base upon which the rail ends 2 rest, and formed on this base adjacent one side thereof is a side plate 3 while at its opposite side edge the base is provided with an upstanding flange 4. The side plate 3 is shaped to snugly overlie the base flanges ofthe rail ends and is formed at its upper edge to fit beneath the treads of the rail ends abutting thereagainst. Formed on the side plate 5 are pairs of spaced lugs 5, and tightly engaged in suitable openings in the rail webs are studs 6 having squared heads 7 which are designed to engage between the lugs of said pairs of lugs to coact therewith for limiting the rail ends against endwise movement relative to the chair structure.

Resting against the base flanges of the rail ends opposite the side plate 3 is a clamping plate 8 which is formed at its lower edge with a laterally projecting somewhat V- shaped lug 9 and formed on said plate at its inner side is a longitudinally extending rib 10 which, as shown in Figure 2, snugly fits beneath the treads of the rail ends.

- Slidable upon the base 1to coact with the lug 9 of the clamping plate 8 isan elongated clamping block 11, which, as shown in Figure 1, is provided at the inner edge with a V-shaped cavity 12 to accommodate said lug, while the other edge of the block is cut away to provide an inclinedrserrated base 13 overhangingwhich. is a flange 14.

Formed in the block near the ends thereof areslots 15 which freely accommodate the bolts 16 slidably connecting the block with the base 1 and confined beneath the flange 14; of the block 11 to abut the flange 4 of the base 1 is a wedge 17 the inner inclined edge of which is'serrated to coact with the ser rated inclined surface or face 13 of the block. Thus, as will be observed, by driving the wedge forwardly, the rail ends may be tight- 1y clamped between the plates 3 and 8. It will be noted that should looseness develop between the rail ends and said plates the impact of the car wheels in either direction against the upper edge 18 of the clamping plate 8 will shift the clampingplate endwise so that the lug 9 thereof will be caused to ride on the corresponding wall of the cavity 12 of the block 11 for taking up such looseness and maintaining the rail joint in secured and tight condition. It will be observed that the heads 7 of the studs are somewhat smaller than the spaces provided between the lugs 5 in order to compensate forexp'ansion and'contraction of the rails."

Having thus'described the invention, I claim:

A rail joint including a combination with meeting rail ends, a base to receivesaid rail ends and having a fixed side plate to overlie the rail ends at corresponding sides thereof, lugs on said side plate, studs carried by the rail ends and disposed to coact with said lugs for limiting the rail ends against endwise movement relative to the base, a clamp :ing plate to overlie the rail ends at their opposite corresponding sides, and means upon the upper edge of the clamping plate for advancing the clamping plate and binding the rail ends between said plates.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

CHARLES TROUP. [L. s.] 

